Cocktails featuring coffee are nothing new. A bracing Irish coffee with whiskey may be welcome in winter. A Dublin Iced Coffee with cold-brew, Guinness stout, Irish whiskey and heavy cream sounds enticing on a warm day.
Espresso martinis featuring espresso, vodka and Irish cream or Kahlua are old hat, but adding the aromatic and complex characteristics of cold brew coffee or roasted coffee beans in cocktails is entirely new. World-renowned bartender Nico de Soto stirs dark roasted beans in cocktails with sherry, sweet vermouth or barrel-aged spirits which harmonize with the slight bitterness and richness of the bean.
Ginny’s Gin of Sonoma County, California. has teamed up with Kona great Carta Coffee Merchant while presenting cocktails with their spirit. On their website are several coffee cocktail recipes featuring Carta Coffee. Here is the recipe for the Carta Coffeetini.
Carta Coffeetini
by Virginia “Ginny” Sweeney, co-founder of Ginny’s Gin
- 1 ounce Ginny’s Gin
- 1 ounce Carta Coffee Cold Brew
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup or less to taste
- 2 drops saline solution
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a few dark roasted coffee beans.
To make cold brew: Combine 100 g freshly ground Carta Coffee and 700 ml water in a jar, place in the refrigerator and let steep overnight. Strain the coffee grounds through a sieve, then strain again through a coffee filter. Since this makes a 50 percent concentrate, add water 1:1 when using. Keep refrigerated.
To make saline: Shake 20 g of salt and 100 ml water in a closed container until salt is dissolved. Keep saline solution in a dropper vial until needed.